Wire knitting machine



Dec. 3, 1940. Q F. 0. DE MILLAR WI RE KNITTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 24, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 VENTOR Dec. 3, 1940.

F. 0. DE MILLAR WIRE KNITTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 24, 1939 a Sheets-Sheet 2 TOR M4! ATTORNE 4/ 56 INVEN Dec. 3, 1940.

F. 0. DE MILLAR WIRE KNITTING MACHINE Filed Jan. 24, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR BY 7 d Mm/ iin ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES' PATENT OFFICE WIRE KNITTING MACHINE Floyd 0. De Millar, Warwick, It. 1., assignor to Elastic Knitted Wire 00. Inc., a corporation of Rhode Island Application January 24, 1939, Serial No. 252,614

ing application entitled Method and apparatus for wire forming, Serial No. 251,223, filed January 16, 1939.

Another object of my invention is to provide a 15 wire knitting machine for knitting a tube of flexible wire in which the knitting mechanism rotates and the tube remains stationary, thus prev venting twisting and distortion of the tube.

20 A further object of my invention is to provide a knitting machine which will permit the knitting of a tube of flexible wire about a cable, hose, or any other suitable object.

With the above objects and other advantageous 2 features in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts and a novel method of manufacture and assembly, more fully disclosed in the detailed description following, in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, and

more specifically defined in the claims appended hereto.

'In the drawings: a v Fig. 1 is a top plan view, partly broken away, of a machine embodying my invention;

35 Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, partly in section;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the upper knitting element;

Fig. 4 is a section thereof taken along line 40 l4 on Fig.3;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the lower knitting element; I

Fig. 6 is a section thereof taken along line 66 on Fig. 5;- v,

45 Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the upper and low"- er elements in assembled relation taken along line '|'l on Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken alongline 88 on Fig. '7;

60 Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 on Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken along line Ill-.40 on Fig. 5;

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the looped wire 58 knitted in the machine of the present invention;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of the tube being knitted by the machine; and

Fig. 13 is a top plan view of the same, parts being shown in dotted lines.

A flexible knitted wire tubing has many uses; a it can be used in advertising display by twisting it into various shapes, it can be knitted about an electric cable to serve as a protection for the same, or about a rubber hose to serve as a protection for the same, and it has many other uses i in various arts. The present invention is designed to simply and effectively knit a looped wire,'previously formed into adjacent coils as by mechanism and disclosed in applicants copending application above referred to, into a con- 15 v tinuous and unlimited length of wire tubing, either independently or around any other article such as a cable or hose.

Referring more in detail to the drawings illustrating m invention, the machine of the present invention is designed to knit a looped wire such as illustrated in Fig. 11. The machine comprises an annularhollow base 20 having an off-set portion or shoulder 2|, and a tubular portion 22 forming a hollow shaft. The external circumference of the tubular portion 22 is recessed as indicated at 23 to form narrow bearing "collars and thus minimize rotationalfriction.

Rotatably mounted on the portion 22 is a cylindrical shaft 24 having an integral lower wheel portion 25 resting on the offset shoulder 2|. The wheel portion 25 is provided with a conventional V-shaped groove 26 for receiving .a conventional driving belt, not shown.

Loosely mounted on the driving shaft 24 is a spool 0r spindle 21 carrying the coil of looped wire 28. The upper end of the shaft 24 projects beyond the upper end of the shaft 22v and, in the projecting part, is provided at opposite sides with laterally projecting horizontal pins 29. Q

The knitting mechanism 30 is provided with a conventional annular groove 3| forming a bayonet connection with the pins 29. When the knitting mechanism 30 is fixed into the top of the shaft 24, as shown in Fig. 2, the lower edge thereof is spaced as at 32 from. the top of'the fixed shaft 22. Extending outwardly from the knitting mechanism 30 is a feeding tube 33 leading to the knitting mechanism adjacent the periphery thereof; theatu 3} is of the rigid type and of inverted U-shape s9 that its open end 34 extends beyond the end of the spindle 21.

In operation, the shaft 24 isdriven by means of the wheel 25 and causes rotation of the knitting mechanism 3-0. As the mechanism 30 rotates, it draws the op ,d' wire 28 through the tube 33 and extru es'the knitted tube shown in Fig.12throug the hollow portion of the shaft 22. The spindle 21, being freely rotatably mounted on the shaft 24, will spin sumciently to compensate for any differential between the rotation of the shaft, the rate of take-up of the coil 28 by the knitting mechanism 38, and

any change in diameter of the coil of knitted wire 28. n

The knitting mechanism 38 comprises an upper section 35 and a lower section 35. The

upper section 35, illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 9,

comprises an annular rim 31 having depending annular flange 38. The upper plate 31 is provided with a central opening 39 and an opening 48 adjacent the flange 38 having a lock pin 4| held in the opening by a leaf spring 42. Oppositely disposed on the under side of the upper member 35am two projections 43 adapted to form a bayonet lock with the grooves or slots 44 in the lower portion 35. As shown in Figs.

4 and 9, the tube 33 is attached to-the top of the upper portion 35 by means of an integral base 45 and the end of the tube 45 flattens into a narrow portion so that the coiled wire 28 entering the upper portion assumes the position shown in Fig. 9. The upper portion 35 is cut away, as indicated at 41 in Fig. 9, to drive the 30 coiled wire to meet the upper plate and an additional guiding flange 48, see Fig. 3, is provided to force the coiled wire around the internal circumference of the upper portion 35. The upper member is also provided, oppositely disposed 35 to the flange 48, with a cam flange 49, positioned as shown in Figs. 3 and 9.

The lower member 36, illustrated in Figs. 5

and 6, comprises an annular hollow block provided with the external groove 3| for forming the bayonet connection with the shaft 24. The

upper external circumference of the portion 36 is cut away to form a narrow portion with a shoulder 58, as seen in Fig. 6. The lower ortion 38 is provided in the central part thereof with a central opening 5| leading to an upper chamber 52. Rising in a counter-clockwise direction in the chamber 52 is an inclinedplane or runway 53 which terminates in a raised portion 54. The inclined plane 53 diverges from the periphcry of the central opening 5| at the point marked 55 in Fig. 5 to form a slot 58 extending in a semi-circle about the central opening 5|, the

other end 51 of the slot 58 joining the lower portion of the inclined plane 53. The upper sur- 55 face of the lower portion 35 is also provided with an opening 58 adapted to receive the lock pin 4|, see Fig. '1.

In assembly, the upper portion 351s placed onto the lower portion 38 and given a twist so 60 that the bayonet connections 43 and 44 lock the parts together. when the locking action is com- Fig. 11, is knitted by hand into a portion of a tube as shown in Figs. 12 and 13, by pushing successive rows of loops 5| through the previous rows of loops 52v and bending them upwardly until three or four rows of loops are formed, the final row being positioned, as shown in Figs.

12 and 13, with one end thereof extending downwardly as at 83 and the successive loops gradually rising upwardly until the loop 54 isreached. This tube is placed intothe knitting machine prior to assembly so that the laterally extend- 5 ing loops between the .portions 53 and 64 rest on the inclined plane 53. When the machine is placed into operation as heretofore described, and the knitting mechanism 38 is turned in a clockwise direction, the looped wire-28 is drawn into 10 the upper member 35 along the inclined cutout portion 41 as shown in Fig. 9. A spring 65 placed at the point of entrance of the coiled wire into the upper portion ensures the coiled wire entering in proper position and with proper spac- 15 ing oi. the loops. As the wire rides along the under surface of the inclined portion 4'|,.the' lowest loop 86 will be pushed into the laterally extended loop 81 as indicated in Fig. 13, the. loops being at right angles to eachother. The 20 downwardly extending loops.enter the slot or groove 51 in the lower member and ride around the end of the slot or groove 51 shown in Fig. 5. At the same time, the laterally extending loops are pushed upwardly by the inclinel plane 53 25 until each loop reaches the uppermost portion 54 thereof. At this point, each laterallypextending loop 81 engages the inner circumference of the flange 49 on the upper member 35 and further movement of the loop 61 will cause it 30 to. be pushed into a vertical position by the Jfiange 49. At the same time the newly inserted loop 68 begins to ride on the inclined plane 53 until the point 55 is reached, at which point the newly inserted loop 68 has been changed from 35 a vertical to a horizontal position. This change in position is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 13. When the loop 66 has'reached the point 55, see Fig. 5, a new loop from the coiled'wire 28 enters the knitting mechanism at this point and is 40 pushed through a loop 66 and the operation is repeated. Each successive horizontally disposed loop therefore receives a downwardly directed loop from the coiled wire at the point 55 on the lower member and is gradually turned through 45 an angle of 180 until it reaches the position shown in the rows of loops marked SI and 82 in Fig. 12.

As the knitting mechanism rotates and more rows of loops are added to the knitted end of the tube, the newly formed rows displace the previously formed rows and move the completed rows downwardly thus gradually pushing thetube through the hollow shaft 22'until any desired length is obtained. 55

To knit the coiled wire 28 about a cable or hose or similar central part, it is merely necessary to use central forming portions of the type shown in Fig. 10. The portion corresponding to the portion 55 shownin Fig. 7 is-hollow as indi- 60 cated at 88, and extends through the central opening" in the closure 89. It is sumcient. therefore, to insert a cable or hose from a reel through the opening I8 and the hollow portion 88 until the cable or hose extends below the 65 forming portion '88. As the tube is knittedas shown indotted lines in Fig. 10, it will be formed around the center cable or hose and, if the knitted tube is arranged to'grip the cable or hose,

the gradual extrusion of the tube will feed additionalcable orhosetoflllthe tube. .The machine or the present invention can obviously be varied to accommodate diiferent sizes and widths of tubing. The machine is simple in construction and extremely easy to much as when the extruded tubing is out below the level of the shaft or base 20, a finished piece of tubing may be permitted to remain within said shaft and thus leave the machine in readiness for the next operation.

The above described apparatus thus forms a knitted tube from a single length of wire, the natural resilience of the wire permitting and facilitating the knitting operation. The apparatus feeds a plurality of separate wire loops to a knitted wire tube, by turning the fed coils so'that the pull on the fed coils and the formation of the knitting head continually feeds new loops through previously knitted loops.

Although I have described the invention as utilizing resilient wire, any material in elongated form having the physical characteristics permitting coiling and knitting as described supra may be used, and the term "wire as specified in the claims denotes such material broadly.

While I have described a specific constructional embodiment of my invention, changes in the size, arrangement, and operation of the parts to form different types and styles of knitted tubes may be made, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The method of forming a tube of wire, comprising the steps of continually winding a strip of rows and successively passing the coils of one,

row throughthe coils of the preceding row to provide interlaced coils extending in the same direction.

4. The method of forming a tube of wire, comprising the steps of continually winding a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils in helical rows and successively interlocking the coils of each row with the preceding row while retaining the fo'rmed'tube in a non-rotating position.

' 5. The method of forming a tube of wire, comprising the steps of continually winding a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils in helical rows and successively passing the coils of one row through the coils of the preceding row to provide interlaced coils extending in the same direction while retaining the formed tube in a non-rotating position.

'2. The method of forming a tube (at wire, comprising the steps of continually winding a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils in helical rows to form annular rows, and continually bending the coils of each row laterally, moving the coils of the next row throughthe bent coils to interlace the coils, and turning the bent coils back to extend the tube length.

8. The method of forming a tube of wire, comprising the steps of continually advancing a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils in annular rows to form annular rows, and continually bending the coils of each row laterally, moving the coils of the next row through the bent coils to interlace the coils, and turning the bent coils back to extend the tube length, while retaining the formed tube in a non-rotating position.

9. The method of forming a tube of wire, comprising the steps of continually winding a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils in helical rows to form annular rows, and continually bending the coils of each row laterally towards the center, moving the coils of the next row through the bent coils to interlace the coils, and turning the bent coils back to extend the tube length.

10. The method of forming a tube of wire, comprising the steps of continually advancing a strip of wire having laterally displacedcoils in annular rows to form annular rows, and continually bending the coils of each row laterally towards the center, moving the coils of the next row through the bent coils to interlace the coils, and turning the bent coils back to extend the tube length, while retaining the formed tube ina non-rotating position. 11. In an apparatus for manufacturing a knitted wire tube, means for continually winding a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils in helical rows, and means for successively interlacing the coils of each row with the preceding row to extend the tube length.

12. In an apparatus for manufacturing a' knitted wire tube, means forcontinually winding a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils in helical rows, and means for successively passing the coils of each row through the coils of the preceding row to extend the tube length.

13. In a wire tube knitter, a tube supporting element adapted to hold a partially formed tube having end coils, a rotatable feeder element for successively feeding coils of a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils to the end coils of the partially formed tube, and meansfor interlacing the fed coils and the end coils.

14. In a wire tube knitter, a tube supporting element adapted'tohold'a partially formed tube having end coils, a rotatable feeder element for successively feeding coils of a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils to the end coils of the partially formed tube, and means for passing the fed coils through the end coils.

15. In a wire tube knitter, a tube supporting element adapted to hold a partially formed tube having end coils, a rotatable feeder element for successively feeding coils of a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils to said end coils, means for turning the end coils laterally, means for passing the fed coils through the turned coils, and means for turning the turned coils back.

16. In a wire tube knitter, a tube supporting element adapted to hold a partially formed tube having end coils, a rotatable feeder element for successively feeding coils of a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils to said end coils, means comprising a cam for turning the end coils laterally, means for passing the fed coils through the turned coils, and -means for turning the turned coils back.

17. In a wire tube knitter, a. tube supporting element adapted to hold a partially formed tube -having end coils, a rotatable feeder element for successively feeding coils of a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils to said end coils, means for turning the end coils-laterally, means comprising a helical cam for passing the fed coils )0 through the turned coils, and means: for turning it the turned coils back.

19. In a wire tube knitter, a tube supporting element adapted to hold a partially formed tube having end coils, a rotatable feeder element for successively feeding coils of a strip of wire having laterally displaced coils to said end coils, means comprising a cam for turning the end coils laterally towards the center, means comprising a helical cam for passing the fed coils through the turned coils, and means for turning'the turned coils back.

20. In an apparatus of the type described, a

fixed tubular bearing, a driven shaft mounted for rotation thereim a knittinghead keyed to said driven shaft and positioned over said tubular bearing, means for feeding a strip'of wire having laterally displaced coils to said head, and means T associated with said head'for continually advancing said strip in annular rows and successively interlacing the coils of each row with the coils of the preceding row to form a tube length extending through said tubular bearing.

- FLOYD 0. DE MILLAR. 

